The Impact Mechanism of Perceived Uniqueness on Consumers’ Willingness to Pay a Premium: An Empirical Study from the Consumer Perspective?

Abstract

In the context of consumption upgrading and increasing market competition, consumers’ choice of brands no longer depends solely on functional value. Instead, the symbolic meaning and psychological value of brands have become decisive factors. Tian et al. argued that perceived uniqueness serves as an important judgment formed during brand cognition, which can satisfy consumers’ needs for self-expression and differentiation, thereby influencing purchasing behavior [1,2]. However, there is still a lack of systematic research on how perceived uniqueness affects consumers’ willingness to pay a premium through psychological mechanisms. Stokburger-Sauer et al. found that brand identification is an essential process through which consumers incorporate a brand into their self-concept, and it is regarded as a key antecedent of both brand loyalty and willingness to pay a premium [3,4]. This research is based on social identity theory and the brand equity model, and builds a model of “Perceived Uniqueness – Brand Identification – Willingness to Pay a Premium.” Through collecting 320 valid samples by questionnaire survey, correlation and regression analysis were used to test the hypotheses. The results show that: (1) Perceived Uniqueness has a positive impact on Willingness to Pay a Premium; (2) Perceived Uniqueness obviously improves Brand Identification; (3) Perceived Uniqueness significantly enhances Brand Identification; (4) Brand Identification acts as a bridge, playing a partial mediating role between Perceived Uniqueness and Willingness to Pay a Premium.